Man Re-Sentenced to Life in Prison for Transporting Illegal Aliens, Vehicle Crash That Resulted in 10 Deaths

PHOENIX—A federal judge on Monday re-sentenced convicted alien smuggler Adan Pineda-Doval to life in prison for his role in a vehicle crash that took the lives of 10 people, including a pregnant woman. Pineda-Doval, 25, of Michoacán, Mexico, originally received a life sentence on May 8, 2008. The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit remanded the case on August 10, 2010, for specific findings regarding the defendant’s mental state at the time of the offense. U.S. District Judge Stephen M. McNamee pronounced his findings on February 28, 2011, and repeated them at the sentencing hearing on Monday.

Pineda-Doval was found guilty by a federal jury on October 25, 2007, of 10 counts of transportation of illegal aliens resulting in death, one count of transportation of illegal aliens placing lives in jeopardy, and one count of re-entry after deportation. Judge McNamee re-imposed sentences of life imprisonment on the 10 counts of transportation of illegal aliens resulting in death to be served concurrently with each other and concurrently with sentences of 20 years of imprisonment for the count of transportation of illegal aliens placing lives in jeopardy and two years of imprisonment for the count of re-entry after deportation. If Pineda-Doval ever is released from the Bureau of Prisons, he will commence a term of supervised release of five years.

On Aug. 7, 2006, Pineda-Doval was transporting 20 illegal aliens, including two pregnant women, to Los Angeles in a Chevrolet Suburban. The seats in the Chevrolet Suburban Pineda-Doval was driving had been removed and folded down in the rear of the vehicle and none of the passengers were wearing a seat belt. After being confronted by a Border Patrol agent who was patrolling a dirt road used to bypass the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on U.S. Highway 95, Pineda-Doval refused to stop the vehicle despite the pleas of his passengers to stop. When another agent attempted to stop the vehicle using a controlled tire deflation device, Pineda-Doval abruptly swerved the vehicle, traveled off the roadway and swerved again in the opposite direction, causing the vehicle to roll and eject multiple occupants. Ten of the passengers died. Pineda-Doval was arrested after witnesses identified him as the driver. The jury deliberated approximately one hour to find him guilty of all charges during the October 2007 trial.

The investigation leading to the guilty verdict was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol (Yuma Sector) with assistance from the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI. The prosecution was handled by Joseph E. Koehler, Dominic Lanza and Raymond Woo, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER: CR-06-0778-PHX-SMM

RELEASE NUMBER: 2011- 038 (Pineda-Doval)

CBP Leads Multi-Agency River Operation

Yuma, Ariz. – Area law-enforcement agencies teamed up with the U.S. Border Patrol marine unit in a joint operation on the Colorado River over the weekend.

During the weekend action, personnel from the Yuma County sheriff’s office, the Imperial County sheriff’s office, the Yuma Police Department, the Cocopah Police Department, the Quechan Fish and Game Department, the Quechan Police Department, and the U.S. Border Patrol joined forces on the Colorado River. 

In anticipation of potential illegal activities, state, local, and Federal law-enforcement agencies coordinated a joint river patrol deployment, dubbed “Operation River Alliance,” in order to reduce cross-border criminal activity and improve the safety of the recreating public.

Due to the increased law-enforcement presence on the Colorado River, the agencies participating were able to report the completion of a successful operation, and voiced their hopes that citizens will continue to enjoy the recreational activities along the Colorado River safely.

To report suspicious activity along the Colorado River, contact the Yuma Sector Border Patrol’s toll free telephone number at 1-866-999-8727.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.